1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus used for diabetes diagnostic support, and a computer program product.
2. Description of the related art
As a system used for diabetes diagnostic support, one is disclosed in, for example, US Patent Publication No. 2006-277015.
In US Patent Publication No. 2006-277015, a system includes a biological model in which a function of a biological organ is represented by a mathematical model, and the function of the biological organ is simulated by a computer with this biological model.
The biological model according to US Patent Publication No. 2006-277015 includes four blocks: a pancreas block representing a function of pancreas, an insulin kinetic block representing a function of insulin kinetics, a peripheral tissue block representing a function of a peripheral tissue, and a liver block representing a function of a liver. A biological body is simulated by these blocks.
In the biological model, the pancreas block obtains an insulin secretion rate based on a blood glucose level provided by the peripheral tissue block. The insulin secretion rate is provided to the liver block. Further, the liver block obtains net glucose release from the liver and insulin having passed the liver based on glucose absorption from outside, the blood glucose level provided by the peripheral tissue block, and the insulin secretion rate provided by the pancreas block. The net glucose release from the liver is provided to the peripheral tissue block, and the insulin having passed the liver is provided to the insulin kinetic block.
Further, the insulin kinetic block obtains concentrations of blood insulin and peripheral tissue insulin based on the insulin having passed the liver provided by the liver block. Although the blood insulin concentration is not provided to the other blocks, the peripheral tissue insulin concentration is provided to the peripheral tissue block. The peripheral tissue block obtains the blood glucose level based on the net glucose release from the liver block and the peripheral tissue insulin concentration from the insulin kinetic block. The blood glucose level is provided to the pancreas block and the liver block.
For accurately generating a pathological condition analysis index for diabetes based on the biological model reproducing pseudo-response which simulates a result of a glucose tolerance test for an individual patient, a cumulative quantity or a concentration of glucose/insulin which reflects a balance in respective organs of the patient is important. This is because an uptake rate (consumption rate) of glucose/insulin which is to be the pathological condition analysis index for diabetes depends on the cumulative quantity or a concentration of glucose/insulin in respective organs.
However, in such the biological model according to US Patent Publication No. 2006-277015, plural simulated organ blocks configuring the biological model are configured by units of organs in which a glucose/insulin concentration is to be obtained, but the respective plural simulated organs are not purposed to obtain the cumulative quantity or the concentration of glucose/insulin in consideration of the balance.
Further, for obtaining the cumulative quantity or the concentration of glucose/insulin in consideration of the balance in the respective simulated organ blocks, it is required to balance inflow and outflow of glucose/insulin in each of a plurality of the simulated organ blocks configuring the biological model. Although glucose and insulin are reciprocated between each block configuring the biological model in US Patent Publication No. 2006-277015, each block focus only on representing functions of the corresponding organ. It is not purposed to balance inflow and outflow of glucose/insulin in each block and obtain the cumulative quantity or the concentration of glucose/insulin.
For example, the liver block in US Patent Publication No. 2006-277015 just calculates a quantity of glucose released based on the inflow glucose one-sidedly, but a balance of inflow and outflow of glucose with respect to the liver block is not considered. Therefore, it is impossible to obtain the cumulative quantity or the concentration of glucose in the liver block in consideration of balance. Further, the peripheral tissue block of US Patent Publication No. 2006-277015 just calculates blood glucose level (glucose quantity in blood plasma) based on a glucose release quantity from the liver block. It is not purposed to obtain the cumulative quantity or the concentration of glucose of the peripheral tissue block itself in consideration of balance.
Meanwhile, the insulin kinetic block of US Patent Publication No. 2006-277015 calculates an insulin concentration but does not reflect the balance.